Chapter 55: Whipped?

Shaking his head out of exhaustion, Ark watched on as the battle came to a climax. He had sat quietly the entire time as Misty shouted from the balcony next to him. Despite the match only lasting roughly 25 minutes, Ark as a spectator was tired. This tiredness was purely mental exhaustion from watching Ash battle and somehow manage to drag himself through.

Luckily, it had given Ark some serious results to his questions. First of all, it seems that big events will eventually end the same way. Despite Arks presence, the events went through just like in the anime, with the exception of Misty being much quieter than before. This proves that on serious events, Ash may be protected by some higher force that Ark cannot influence just yet.

"I guess it was good that I didn't reject that kid... I am super thankful his Mum is so hot"

Ark muttered under his breath as he watched Onix fall over from an electric attack.

Secondly, he found that the interactions between people will differ due to his presence, for example Misty was much quieter since she spend yesterday with Ark and was not as invested into Ash unlike the anime. Additionally, Brock seemed to be a more focused on the battle rather than testing Ash, something which is out of character for Brock since he was a model gym leader.

There was a few more of his questions that were answered but they were pretty minor.

"Right, I am off Misty, tell Ash I said congratulations and that I will catch up with him later on"

Ark turned away from the finishing battle and left the scene.

Misty stared at the place Ark had been previously, a hint of longing in her eyes. She had to admit that during the match, her attention had been split between watching Ark who had a serious face and Ashs battle. While she felt slightly guilty over not paying full attention to Ashs first battle, she noticed that Arks expression was one that did not fit someone of his age. It was almost as though he was thinking about a huge responsibility he was shouldering.

The fires of resolve started to kindle in her eyes as she steeled herself to ask more about it. She knew that Ark had not been fully transparent, after all if he had, she presumed he probably would not have been able to refrain last night. Therefore, she wanted to find out what responsibility he had taken upon himself and whether she was part of it.

Whilst Misty was steeling herself, Ark was casually making his way to the police station. Butterflies fluttered around in his stomach as he thought about who he was about to visit. Since they had come back, the two had been too busy to meet up for more than an hour a day, thus Ark had decided to make time to visit Jenny before they go out next.

Following that, he also wanted to speak to Jenny about Misty. Although he already had people at home and in different regions agreeing to the idea of a huge harem, Ark wanted to alert Jenny as she was his first full partner and it had only been a short amount of time before they had consolidated their relationship. While Ark would be sad if Serena and Cynthia got partners, which he highly doubted, he would accept it since it is very difficult to expect anyone to wait around for someone despite having very little communication. Of course he wouldn't let it happen without having his true thoughts heard and at least an attempt to fight for it.

As Ark arrived at the station, he walked in with familiarity and went straight for Jennys office. The station seemed a tad quieter, which was hopefully a good sign. Knocking on the office door, Ark straightened out his clothes as he waited for the go ahead.

Eventually, he heard a small voice from within, granting him entry.

Once Ark entered, he was greeted by the same magnificent sight that he had come to love. Jenny in her police uniform, a serious expression on her face as she sipped coffee and looked over reports. No matter how many times he saw it, Ark always got lost in such a beautiful sight.

"Hmm? Of wait? Ark! I never expected you to come today!"

Jenny jumped out of her chair when she noticed it was Ark. Her expression bloomed into a warm and joyful look as she approached the mesmerised Ark. Slowly, he regained his control and returned a smile that was just as wide.

"I wanted to pop in and surprise you. I regret not picking up a gift now. Anyways, it's good to see you Jenny."

Ark met Jenny halfway and the two naturally wrapped into a tight hug, their lips met with a gentle yet sensual feel. It was not an erotic kiss but still the pure passion started to heat up their faces as they refused to separate for air.

Unfortunately, the two were human so they separated out of need for air. The room filled with gasps and pants as they fought to recover their breath. Ark recovered first and walked the two over to a small sofa set in the corner with a coffee table.

"There is another reason for my coming here today, other than to visit you of course"

Jenny adjusted her position as she lent into Arks shoulder. The desire to get drinks completely left her mind as she snuggled with Ark for the first time in a while.

"What might that be? I mean we didn't plan to meet up until another day. Surely it's not because you can't hold back anymore right?"

Speaking in a teasing tone, Jenny smirked as she watched Arks face contort into a frown. As much as he wanted to deny her allegations, he knew there was some truth to it, especially since he acted like a saint and did not touch Misty last night.

"As painful as it is, I can wait for a little bit more. I came to speak about a girl."

As soon as Ark finished his sentence, Jennys countenance turned serious. There was no hostility in her demeanour, however it was clear that she did not plan to remain silent if she didn't like something.

"Okay, go ahead. I will listen."

Ark nodded with a grateful expression. He was glad that no drama had ensued so far. Although he had already gotten her consent, it did not mean it was a drama free zone.

"So I met up with a girl I met in Viridian City, shes someone that i will be seeing a lot more on my journey and I can honestly say I like her. I took her out yesterday and we ended up sharing a bed last night, we didn't cross any boundaries but we did spent a few minutes kissing before we slept."

"Hmm, does she know?"

Ark tilted his head slightly before a look of enlightenment flashed in his eyes. He shook his head in denial.

"No, she doesn't know about my harem dream or you. Yesterday was our first date and shes got a very unpredictable temper so I was afraid she wouldn't take it as calmly as you. I wanted to wait for a time when we were somewhere completely alone so she can chew me out without interruption"

Jenny nodded her head, while it was not a good idea to hide it for too long, if it was handled poorly, it could cause irreparable damage to both Arks and Mistys reputations. This was very dangerous for trainers as their reputation is taken into account when they sign up for the league.

"I see. So you need to tell her. In that case, let's go"

Jenny jumped up and stretched before turning back to the still seated Ark. His expression was blank and his mouth was slightly parted.

Finally, his mind caught up with the sudden situation.

"Eh?"